Wales made to sweat as Northampton stall over releasing North for Australia clash

George North is in danger of becoming embroiled in a club v country dispute over his availability for Wales’ autumn finale against Australia.

The Lions wing has made a stunning impact in the Aviva Premiership since moving to Northampton from the Scarlets in the aftermath of his glorious displays Down Under during June and July.

Yet, while his new club are eager to support his Test ambitions, they have yet to decide whether or not to release him for the Wallabies clash at the Millennium Stadium on November 30.

Saint George: The Wales wing has made a flying start to his Northampton career

That will be the last of four Wales games in Cardiff next month and falls outside the official international window, leading to uncertainty over the participation of players based outside the principality.

Asked about North’s availability, Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder said on Wednesday: ‘It would be our choice. We will decide what’s best for him.

‘The club and George will have that discussion and will do what’s right for us both.’

Referring to the two new Lions in his squad, North and England prop Alex Corbisiero, Mallinder said: ‘We will manage them slightly differently.

Lion: North performs a memorable tackle on Australia's Israel Folau during the second Test in June

‘We will rest George before he goes away with Wales. We want him to play well not just for Saints but for Wales. We’ve told him we don’t want to hinder his international playing.’

On Saturday, Northampton go to Welford Road for an East Midlands derby against champions Leicester, who are preparing a simple game plan to stop North.

‘We are going to tackle him around the legs like we used to do with players when we were 12 year-olds,’ said director of rugby Richard Cockerill on Wednesday. ‘I will be shouting “legs” from the touchline!

‘All the talk is about George North, which is great and I understand why, but our players are looking forward to playing against a big star.’

Key man: Wales want North available for all of their autumn internationals

When the sides met in last season’s final at Twickenham, the game was marred by the sending-off of Saints captain Dylan Hartley.

Cockerill was subsequently banned for his angry comments aimed at an official after a big hit by Courtney Lawes left Toby Flood injured. But the Tigers believe they can keep their composure this time.

Cockerill said: ‘To be fair, apart from Manu Tuilagi’s incident three years ago, our discipline has been good.

‘We’re the most disciplined side in the competition and we didn’t have any problems in the grand final.’